His case has been thrown out on a technicality – because he missed the cut-off date to submit his application – but the episode reminds us that the world of work is sometimes crazier than we can even imagine.

1. Qantas sacked flight attendant Phillip Woodward-Brown in 2006 for stealing 16 macadamia nut chocolates and three biscuits. What is it about some employers and food? Woodward-Brown had 32 years’ experience in his job and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission found Woodward-Brown regarded the products as “waste" which he knew “were to be thrown away immediately after the conclusion of the flight". The airline was ordered to reinstate him.

2. Tony Selak was fired as the manager of a Safeway store in Melbourne by violating the “zero tolerance" policy on drinking in working hours enforced by Woolworths, which owns Safeway. Selak argued he was trying to create a relaxed environment over lunch to try and convince a valuable employee to reconsider his intention to quit his job. The sacking was upheld.

3. Dental assistant Melissa Nelson lost her job when her boss in Fort Hood, Iowa, found her “too irresistible". She had worked for James Knight for 10 years and was accepted to be an exemplary employee, yet the all-male panel of seven judges in the Iowa district court, which threw the case out on December 21, saw nothing amiss.

4. Student Sarah Finch was fired last year by McDonald’s in Carmarthen, West Wales, for sprinking extra chocolate on a dessert for a colleague, who had bought it and asked her to “make it a nice one". The 19-year-old was accused of gross misconduct for giving away food, but was awarded compensation by an employment tribunal.

5. A Sainsbury’s baker left the store on night shift for two minutes to get change for a coffee and was fired for “gross misconduct" after working for the British company for 11 years. He won his claim for wrongful dismissal and received a $15,000 payout.

6. Queanbeyan caravan company Jayco Canberra is being prosecuted by the Fair Work Ombudsman for the unfair dismissal of an employee who took leave to care for his dying mother. The employee took paid personal/carer’s, compassionate and annual leave around the time of his mother’s death in 2011.

What is the world coming to? Smart employers use common sense, a flexible outlook and strong communication channels to deal with those grey areas that occur in every job.

Employers know that attracting and retaining good people requires a bit of give and take. If nothing else, it will keep you out of the Fair Work Commission.